Ἔνθά κεν Ἀργείοισιν, ὑπέρμορα νόστος ἐτύχθη
εἰ μὴ Ἀθηναίην Ἥρη πρὸς μῦθον ἔειπεν:
ὦ πόποι. αἰγιόχοιο Διὸς τέκος. Ἀτρυτώνη.
οὕτω δὴ οἶκον δὲ φίλην ἐς πατρίδα γαῖαν
Ἀργεῖοι φεύξονται ἐπ' εὐρέα νῶτα θαλάσσης:
καδ δέ κεν εὐχωλὴν Πριάμῳ καὶ Τρωσὶ λίποιεν
Ἀργείην Ἑλένην ἧς εἵνεκα πολλοὶ Ἀχαιῶν
ἐν Τροίῃ ἀπόλοντο φίλης ἀπὸ πατρίδος αἴης:
ἀλλ' ἴθι νῦν κατα λαὸν Ἀχαιῶν χαλκοχιτώνων:
σοῖς δ' ἀγανοῖς ἐπέεσσιν ἐρήτυε φῶτα ἕκαστον:
μηδὲ ἔα νῆας. ἅλα δ' ἑλκέμεν ἀμφιελίσσας:
Then would the Argives have accomplished their return even beyond what was ordained, had not Hera spoken a word to Athena, saying: "Out upon it, child of Zeus that beareth the aegis, unwearied one! Is it thus indeed that the Argives are to flee to their dear native land over the broad back of the sea? Aye, and they would leave to Priam and the Trojans their boast, even Argive Helen, for whose sake many an Achaean hath perished in Troy, far from his dear native land. But go thou now throughout the host of the brazen-coated Achaeans; with thy gentle words seek thou to restrain every man, neither suffer them to draw into the sea their curved ships."
